Automatic inspection track-gage.



N0 MODEL.

PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903. H. B. MERRIAM.

AUTOMATIC INSPECTION TRACK GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR 23. 1902.

TIL!

-E:Tinllllnu'llnrllllnn HARRY B. MERRIAM,

OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC INSPECTION TRACK-GAG E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 722,739, dated March1'7, 1903. Application filed April 23 1902. Serial No. 104,415. (Nomodel.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY B. MERRIAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Automatic Inspection Track-Gage, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means fordetermining the gage or width between the rails of a railway-track andcoincident therewith ascertain and determine the relative elevations ofthe treadsurfaces of said rails both in respect of said tread-surfacesoccupying a common level and occupying different levels.

A further object of this invention is to be found in the provision ofmeans for determining the accuracy of a foremans trackgage in respect ofthe desired width of the track between the rails.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, andcombinationof elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, andillustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view illustrating the construction of my device and the usethereof as a track-gage, the tread-surfaces of the track-rails occupyingthe same horizontal plane. Fig. 2 is a perspective View illustrating theconstruction of my device and the use thereof in determining theaccuracy of a foremans track-gage. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewillustrating the construction of my device and the use thereof indetermining the relative elevations of track-rails, as well as the gagethereof. Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of one of the gage-headsof my improved device detached from the connecting-bar. Fig. 5 is aperspective view in detail illustrating the curved glass bubble-tube andits application to the connecting or level bar of my device.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral 10 designates abar, preferably made of wood and provided with a scale or graduation onone of its side faces. The bar 10 should be straight and have its upperand lower faces plane and true except in thecentral portion of its upperface, at which point the surface swells outwardly on an arc, the centerof the arc alining with or being on a radial line from the center of thebar and the central index (zero) of the scale or graduation. A curvedglass spirit-bubble tube is mounted on the top and center of the bar,with its convex surface upward, its concave surface contacting with thecurved or swelled portion of the upper face of the bar. The tube iscovered with a metal strap A, secured by its ends to the bar, and saidstrap is formed with a slot in and longitudinally of its central portionproximately the length of the tube. The strap A is provided with agraduated scale on either side of the tube and extending in oppositedirections from the center of said tube and from the zero-index in thecenter of the strap, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and this graduation is soarranged that for each inch of superelevation of either rail of thetrack the bubble in the tube will move V one space along the scale. Bythus mounting the tube upon the bar the spirit-bubble in the tube ismade to indicate when the tread-surfaces of the rails are occupying thesame horizontal plane or the track is level or the amount of elevationat either rail thereof without reversing,-inverting, or transposing theends of the bar.

It is desirable to determine and fix accurately the length or gage ofthe bar 10, and for such purpose I have provided gage-heads 11 12 oflike construction and shape and arranged for mounting on end portions ofthe bar. Each of the heads 11 12 is formed, preferably, of metal bymolding, and consists of arms 13 14, parallel with each other andarranged to embrace the upper and lower faces of the bar 10 and becountersunk therein and fixed thereto. The outer end portions of thearms 13 14 are connected by the body portion of the gage headintegrally. A lip 15 is formed on and extends outwardly from the bodyportion of the gage-head, and the lower face of said lip is plane andparallel with the lower face of the bar 10. The face I) of the bodyportion of the gagehead forms the shoulder of said gage-head and is atright angles to the lower face of the'lip 15 and joins the inner end ofsaid lower face of the lip by a right angle at a in Fig. 4. Each of thegage-heads 11 12 being formed with thelips and the plane faces Z)adjoining said lips with right angles at a, and the plane faces of ICOthe lips being in the same plane and parallel with the plane of thelower face of the bar 10, it follows that when the device is mounted onrails, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, the plane face of the lips willrest on the treadsurfaces of the rails and the level or inclinedrelations of said tread-surfaces would be in dicated by thespirit-bubble in the curved glass tube on the central portion of the bar10. At the same time the plane faces I) of the body portions of thegage-heads will contact snugly with the inner margins of the treads ofthe rails and determine the accuracy of the gage or spacing apart of therails of the track. Lips c are formed on and extend from the bodyportions of the gageheads at right angles to the lips 15 and the innerfaces of said lips c are plane and in alinement with the plane faces I).The faces 01 of the lips 0 form the shoulders of a gagetester reverse tothe gage and are spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing apart ofthe plane faces I) of the gage-heads and form hooks to receive betweenthem the heads of the foremans track-gage 16, as illustrated in Fig. 2,and determine, verify, and ascertain the accuracy of said foremanstrackgage. The graduation orscale on the side of the bar 10 extends inopposite directions from zero in center of said bar and is indicated infeet andinches for the purpose of determining the center of the trackand its agreement or otherwise with the engineers center stakes.

It is intended that this device shall be used by road-masters,track-supervisors, and inspectors, whose duties include testing thegages of track foremen and determining quickly the amount of elevationof either rail of the track, as well as testing the gage of the trackand the relative position of the center of the track with reference tothe engineers center stakes.

In practical use for testing the gage of the track the device isemployed as shown in Fig. 1, the close contact of the plane faces I) ofthe gage-heads with the inner margins of the railtreads indicating anddetermining the accuracy of the gage. In testing the accuracy of thegages of track-foremen the device is employed, as illustrated in Fig. 2,by turning the device upside down and fitting it over the foremansgages. It is desirable and preferable to use a radial track-gage. Inusing the device for determining the level of the track or the amount ofelevation of either rail relative to the other the bar is placed,asillustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, with the plane faces of the lips 15 incontact with the tread-surfaces of the rails, and the amount ofelevation of either rail is determined by reading the nu mber of spacesfrom the center of the graduated scale A opposite-the position taken bythe spirit-bubble in the glass tube, which gives the number of-inches ofelevation of either rail relative to the other, as illustrated in Fig.3. In using the device for determining the relative position of thecenter of the track with reference to the engineers center stakes theoperator reads the scale of feet and inches from the zero of thegraduation on the face of the gage to the right or left of zero to thecenter stake, the number of feet and inches thus shown upon the scalebeing the distance the track will have to be moved to bring it to thetrue center.

It will be observed that the gage of the track, the level of the track,the amount of elevation of either rail, and the true alinement of thetrack can be determined at once simply by placing the device upon therails.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A track-gage, consisting of a bar, a metal gage-head mounted on eachend of said bar, a shoulder in each metal gage-head and a lip oppositeto said shoulder formed with a plane face in the plane of the face ofthe shoulder and forming the track-gage tester reversed to the gage.

2. A trackgage, consisting of a bar, a metal gage-head on each end ofsaid bar, the plane in said gage-head forming the shoulder of said gage,being a continuation of a plane in the gage forming the shoulder of agage-tester reversed to the gage, and a scale of feet and inches alongthe side of said bar extending in opposite directions from zero in thecenter of said bar.

3. A track-gage, consisting of a bar, metal gage-heads on said bar,agage-shoulder formed on each gage-head and a gage-tester shoulder formedon each gage-head opposite to and in alinement with the gage-shoulders,a scale of feet and inches along one side of the bar extending inopposite directions from zero in the center of said bar, a curved glassspiritbubble tube mounted on the top and center of said bar with itsconvex side outward, the ends of said tube occupying the same relativeposition with reference to the top surface of said bar, a strap of metalextending over said tube and secured by its ends to said bar,

HARRY B. MERRIAM.

Witnesses:

BENJ. G. FULLER, J. E. ADAMSON.

